This walk approaches the familiar walking territory around Shoreham and Otford in Kent from an unfamiliar angle, passing at first over wooded hills, then climbing up and over a steep ridge to get down to Shoreham. In the afternoon the route goes into a lovely hilly area of woodland and fields, passing through the lovely hidden valley of Magpie Bottom, a nature reserve.
In winter the walk is not over-afflicted with mud, but the descents into Shoreham and Otford can be a bit slippery.
Options to extend the walk are described.
Trains: Get the 1001 Sevenoaks train from Charing Cross, (London Bridge 1010) arriving 1050. Knockolt is in Zone 6. Depending on your travel pass, buy a single from Otford to Swanley (zone eight) or St Mary Cray (zone six), or get a return to Sevenoaks.
There are frequent return trains to Charing Cross, London Bridge or Blackfriars with the fastest requiring a change.
Lunch: Kings Arms (01959 523100), with the more upmarket Samuel Palmer (01959 525442), or a picnic in the churchyard.
Tea: Hospices of Hope charity shop, which is open till 4pm or two pubs, the first one you pass being the more basic Woodman by the roundabout, with the Bull, a cosy chain pub, 150 metres beyond the roundabout on the left.
2 comments:
N=11 on this energetic walk, which deserves more outings. The rain held off, with even a glimpse of blue sky. We were a bit spread out in the morning, but regrouped for picnics in the churchyard, followed by 10 of us having a drink in the pub nearby.
We stayed together for the afternoon, which had a higher mud factor but relativel to the current times, not too bad. I think 5 got early trains and some went for tea and cake.
W=A-glimpse-of-blue-sky
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